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1947-2008-India-Roundup
In one fell swoop, India’s image changed from peace to power. The Fifth Lok Sabha elections saw the Congress bagging 350 of the 518 seats polled, but it wasn’t the only victory in the year. India supported East Pakistan’s struggle for independence—as Indira Gandhi told the National Press Club in Washington, this was not a “civil war” but “a genocidal punishment of civilians for having voted democratically”. The third Indo-Pakistan war broke out on December 3, but 11 days later the Pakistan army was forced to surrender in East Pakistan and India recognized the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
FIRST CUT
Himachal Pradesh, a Union Territory since 1950, was formally declared a state on January 25 under the Himachal Pradesh Act, 1971.
Air India’s first jumbo jet plane Boeing 747, named Emperor Ashoka, landed at Bombay.
Just prior to the Indo-Pakistan was, an Indian Airlines Fokker Friendship aircraft, Ganga, was hijacked on its way to Lahore and destroyed by the hijackers.
Before Parliament abolished the privy purses of the princes, proclaiming them to be normal citizens, annual benefits to the 278 princes ran into several crores. With the highest amount of $3,50,000 paid to the Maharaja of Mysore.
Tanker Trails
In response to Pakistan’s preemptive air strike, iaf helicopters had transported 1,270 men across river Meghna and brought 40 tonne of equipment in a day. At Longewalla, enemy tankers (right) attempted a break-through, but the iaf blocked most of them.
“DECCA IS NOW FREE.”
S.H.F.J. Manekhsaw
“Dacca is now the free capital of a free country.” When Indira Gandhi announced this in Parliament, it was a tribute to Chief of Army Staff Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw’s war strategy, which resulted in Pakistan’s unconditional surrender in the Bangladesh war and 90,000 soldiers being taken as pows. The Indian Army beat back all principal offensives at Poonch, Chhamb and Longewala with heavy losses to the enemy. Decades later, Manekhsaw revealed in BBC interview that in 1970, Indira Gandhi had feared he would stage a military coup. He was awarded the title of Field Marshal in 1973.
CRICKET CRAZY
In what turned out to be a golden year for Indian cricket, it discovered its greatest batsman, Sunil Gavaskar, as he plundered 774 runs in his debut series as he took India home to its first Test series win in the Caribbean in March. Then, they repeated the feat in England in August.
MERA DIL JO MERA HOTA…
Anubhav portrayed a complex relationship between a busy husband (Sanjeev Kumar) and a neglected wife (Tanuja). Directed by master of middle-class cinema, Basu Bhattacharya, it used minimum supporting characters and background music. The ticking clock heard throughout the film, used as a metaphor for loneliness, made a powerful statement.
ELSEHWERE…
The Bretton Woods System broke down under the deficit spending by the US, which then suspended the convertibility of dollar to gold.
The Apollo 14 mission sent men to the moon for the third time.
Idi Amin became president of Uganda after a coup (below), seizing power from Milton Obote, who was responsible for Uganda’s independence in 1962.
Three cosmonauts died on a Soviet space mission, Soyuz 11.
3.42,944 was the number of polling stations in the general elections of 1971. The size of the electorate was 275 million and 1,769,802 Indians were on polling duty in the country. There were 66 cases of booth-capturing, as many as 52 of them in Bihar.
Courtesy By India Today
